The big-budget samurai film debuted to $9.9 million over the Christmas holiday weekend, but 47 Ronin has been said to cost anywhere from $175 million to $225 million, SF Gate reports. The dismal opening will likely result in 47 Ronin being one of the biggest box-office bombs of 2013.

Already, scripts with male protagonists are landing on the scrap pile. “While I am personally drawn to the presence of a male action hero, it is currently a tough sell with the less than stellar way 47 Ronin was received,” explained mega films executive producer in rejecting a recent screenplay.

Meanwhile, with Variety predicting that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, starring Jennifer Lawrence, will be 2013’s top-earning movie, producers are reportedly bidding up their offers for scripts featuring female leads in a race to be the studio with the next big female-led action-adventure movie.